Wednesday, 14 November 2007

Im so pleased today, I received my invitation to attend the world famous Hugglets show next September. The last time I got an ivite I was pregnant so I had to turn it down. Hugglets festivals are by invitation only and you have to be vetted by sending off pictures of your bears. Im am so excited as it will be my first time. Im secretly hoping they get a cancellation for the February Winter Festival too....

If you sent me a sample of a colour for a bear ( mauve ) can you get in touch with me again by email. You know who you are, ( I don't want to put names on here). Aol has deleted all my old emails and Ive put your letter up for safe keeping and can't find it. So please don't think Ive forgotton you. Please email me.

Tuesday, 13 November 2007

Here is Cranbeary. He is the largest of the bears I had this week. He is a Hairy Hoodlam. I love this design as its more comical with big feet and big noses. They are butch in stature too. Cranbeary will be making his way to my website as soon as Ive had a cup of tea.

My 2 little fellas have been adopted today and will be winging their way to their new homes shortly.

Monday, 12 November 2007

Well it was a great day at the Christmas fair. We raised nearly £400 for the toddlers in all. There was a good turnout of people all day too which was probably helped with the leaflet drop we all did. I took Will with me and he was fab. I put him in charge of selling the beanies whilst I was giving information about the bears. He managed to sell quite a few and we raised over £30 so it was worth it. I gave out lots of leaflets for the bears and lots of people loved them and thought it was a great idea to have a bear made for a special present. I took 4 bears to the fair. One has already found a new home and I have 3 available.

Here are photos of the 2 Im putting on my website tonight and the third I will put on tomorrow.

Saturday, 10 November 2007

Well I haven't stopped today. As I mentioned earlier it is my local Christmas fair tomorrow and I have a table. Its a bear table but not my usual kind of bear table.. .... I have made 4 new bears for the fair and instead of just taking them to sell I am going to try to take orders for bears for Christmas. I have printed off lots of my bear pictures so people can see a few of my designs. I don't know how this will go down but Im hopeful. Now 4 bears on a table would look a bit sorry for themselves so Im also taking along some of my Attic Treasure Collection to sell. Im hoping Will is coming with me to help out. I still have my table cloths to iron yet and its nearly 1am.

Saturday, 3 November 2007

As my boys now feel a bit old to dress up in halloween costumes we have little Kaitlin to take over where thay left off. I couldn't let her look really scary though as she was going to a halloween party for 0-4 yr olds so we didn't want to frighten anyone. But as the second picture shows this is Kailtins attempt at looking scary. Now Bonfire night is a different story. I would quiet gladly lock up the house and not come out at all for a week while all those fireworks are going off. I hate them!!!!

Its only a week now until the toddlers Christmas fair. I have been posting leaflets through all the houses near me to encourage people to come. Im having a table so Im making bears for that this week. So unfortunatly no new bears for the websiote this week but I should have some next weekend after the fair. I wouldn't normally take my handmade bears to a fair like this because alot of people don't understand what actually goes into designing and making an artist bear but Im making it my mission to educate people. A one of a kind teddy bear can make a very special gift that will last a lifetime. So I thought if I take a few bears and photos of quite a few others if anyone wants to order one then they can. I will take samples of mohair too so that the bear can be made in exactly the colour or style anyone wants.

Here is a photo I have of my Mum and Kaitlin. I have hardly any photos of Mum as she really doesn't like them taken so Im glad I took this one. Kaitlin thinks the world of all her Grandparents and can easily say Grandma and Nana. I think she also has them twisted round her little finger.....

Tuesday, 23 October 2007

Well I haven't updated my blog for 2 weeks now. It annoys me when I don't as its very much a record for me.

Im working on some new bears and Im hoping to have 1 or 2 ready for the weekend. I am having a table at the Christmas fair we are running in aid of the toddlers in my village. I am going to try to take a few bears along and take orders if anyone wants a special bear for someone. I am also going to take alot of my beanie/attic treasure collection to fill the table. All these are immaculate so Im hoping parents will want some for stocking fillers for their children. I am trying to clear more space at the moment so Kaitlin can have her own room after xmas.

Ive had another big sort out of Kaitlins clothes so I will be putting these on ebay in the next few days. Everything is imaculate. It clears more room for all the new clothes I have had to buy her because she has grown. Kaitlin had her picture taken last week too so Im waiting for the proof to come through. A photographer came to the toddlers and spent 3 hrs doing them trying to make 30 little ones smile. What a job... The lady did a fabulous job actually and I was really pleased with the pic so now I can't wait to see it properly.

Baby Daniel is gorgeous. I saw my sister on Saturday at my Mums and held him for a while. I can't remember Kaitlin being that small. Time flies doesn't it.

Ive been busier doing more hair. Its starting to pick up really nicely now so I don' t know whether to advertise in the local paper or just play it by ear. Ive had another 3 customers this week so I was really pleased.

Ohhh Ive also put my name down to have a table at the Teddy Bear Artist Event, on June 9th 2008 in Stratford upon Avon ( Ive never been there) so thats something to look forward to. I really want to exhibit at hugglets in February in London so fingers crossed I will get in to do that one.

Thursday, 11 October 2007

My little sisters waters broke this evening and Im so excited, I will be having a niece or nephew shortly. Its her first baby and I have been like a mother hen to her. Obviously Im an old hand with 3 but the newness of motherhood for her has been wonderful to see. Im going to take the phone to bed tonight...

Well Im having another little clearout this evening. Ive just listed lots of mohair and unused bear patterns on ebay. I have enough mohair here to make about 200 bears so its time to let a little bit go for the sake of tidyness ( I can't spell). I always have a tidy up before xmas and look though all my stuff to see if I can part with anything, I love xmas and we always have our holiday shortly after so the extra money comes in handy too.

Sunday, 7 October 2007

Ive been bust making new bears for an order this week so I have no new ones on the website. Therfore I decided to put Hobart on to ebay.com. This bear is so lovely, I love his features and the fur is my favorite, lovely dense and straight.

I have decided not to list bears at 99p now unless I put a reserve on as I won't be able to sustain the business in the long term. I want to let everyone afford my bears so I do keep the prices as low as possible. I make very high quality one of a kind artist bears which I have designed myself and I do not want people to think that if a bear is cheap it is poor quality.

Anyway here is Hobart. If you click on his name it will take you to ebay.

All I seem to have done over the last few days is run here and there in the car. Today I went to the wholesalers, then to farm foods for some bits and when I got home I realised I had forgotton something for my appointments tomorrow so back I went to the wholesalers... Then because Ive been selling lots on ebay I have to go to the post office everyday with a bag of parcels. There is always a queue and everyone seems to have parcels so it makes you wonder if we are all ebayers on the side.

Saturday, 29 September 2007

How have I accumulated so much stuff. Well its no wonder my house feels small when you see how much I have. Phil buys tickets for football matches and clothes but not me. I buy craft stuff for all my hobbies and bearmaking. Im not interested in clothes and only buy when I have to. The kids are a bit like me too. They have accumulated so many toys and games and can't get rid of them either.

So today I went through one drawer of mohair. Bear in mind I have approx 8 big drawers in my chest of drawers full of mohair. Now this one draw had approx 25 pieces in it so I went through it and picked 7 pieces I have either used half of or I know I won't use it. I don't make many big big bears and some of this mohair is fabulous on big bears so Ive put it on ebay. Now mohair is so expensive. You are talking at least £15 for a quarter of a meter of sparse mohair going all the way up to over £40 for the luxurious mohair. So Ive actually listed this for alot less than I paid for it. Thats why artists bears can seem expensive but when you see the price of the mohair you understand why. Now I will have to go through some more drawers tomorrow.

Check back tomorrow as I have a bear who has a full page in Teddy Bear Club International this month. His name is Kingston and here is a sneaky peak at him.

Saturday, 22 September 2007

I went to a Bear fair today as I wanted to have a look round and get some supplies. Mum came with me as she loves bears as much as I do and we ended up having a lovely time admiring all the artist bears and talking to everyone. There are some really lovely people in the Bear World.

This week I have had a bear called Kingston in Teddy Bear Club International magazine. I sent him off and he had his picture taken proffessionally and they made an excellent job of it too. I will take some pics and put him on my website tomorrow, he is a brand new design too.

I have also made a bear who is a little different for me. He hasn't got a name yet but he is more loosly filled than my usual style and a bit grungy looking if you could call it that. He is also going to have his photo taken tomorrow and I will put him on ebay so watch this space.

I have listed 2 of my bears on ebay today. They have been on my website and are from my Classic Collection.

Wednesday, 19 September 2007

Well after worrying all weekend about Will he went to school on Monday and everything was fine. I thought Id leave it till Monday afternoon to ring the school as there are no teachers around in the morning. He came home after school and had a smile on his face. In fact he has had a smile on his face ever since. Its funny how you so want to protect your kids, everything they go through you feel it worse and you want to do everything for them. All I wish for is that they can be happy.

Kaitlin is coming on in leaps and bounds now. She understands everything you say ( phil keeps asking her to get the remote control for him and she does). At the moment she is a real pleasure, the only time we have tantrums is when she can't get you to understand what she wants or we have to take something off her because its dangerous or its something of ours. I can talk to her for hours and she laughs, plays, draws pictures, plays with her dolls. I love it when she gives her dolly a kiss. Its the sweetest thing in the world. After having 2 boys its so different and nice to have a little girl. We put bobbles in her hair and hair slides. ( My boys would not of let me do that).

Im going to make my bears for the British Bear Artist Awards this week. I have put an entry form in and have to send the pictures to them by the beginning of Oct. So I shall have to get cracking...

There is a Teddy Bear Fair in Wrexham this Saturday. I am just going for a look round and to buy materials and to inquire about exhibiting next year.

Saturday, 15 September 2007

Wills had a bit of trouble in school again this week. A lad in his class has been bullying him. We had so much trouble with bullying a few years ago that I will be on the phone on Monday morning telling the school. Will doesn't want to hit the lad because he doesn't want to get into trouble. The best of it now isthat Will is really good at Kick boxing and he could really get him back if he wanted to, but he is very sensible and I think thats why this other lad is having a go, trying to goad him.

I have sent some of my bears off to an antique and interior shop called Hanworth House in Bedfordshire last week as they are going to be stocked there and I just wanted to put some pics on here.

I have also put a bear called Little Sunshine on my website this week. He is only 7" tall and is made from a lovely coloured mohair.

Saturday, 8 September 2007

Well the boys have now gone back to school, both of the came home on Wednesday and talked about it all night. Its funny, when you ask them if they wanted to go back the unanimously said No Way but they forget how many friends they haven't seen for 6 weeks. At the end of the day your school days are one of the best times in your life, not that my children believe me.

Kaitlin has had an accident today. She wanted to be near Phil whe he was on the computer and was reaching for things ( as she does). Well we have an external hard drive next to the computer and its really heavy. She only pulled it down on her head. She now has a cut just below her eye. She cried for ages, really sobbing. I felt so awful for her. It could of been much worse though if it has been nearer to her eye.

I found a great website this week. I love forums and I am a member of quiet a few that have interests in things I like. A friend told me about an Artist Bear forum so I hopped over and joined. The talent on there is amazing. Its called Teddy Talk and if you like bears its worth having a look round it.

I have created more bears this week. 3 have gone off to a shop in Bedfordshire and the owner rang me yesterday to say she was really pleased with them. Well that made my night.

I have 2 more available too.

Hobart is a Hairy Hoodlam and is 9" tall. He is on my website. Darby is a Little Heart Throb and he has just been listed on ebay. If you click on their names it will take you to them.

Saturday, 1 September 2007

Well I have 3 full days left before the kids go back to school. I always think the 6 weeks is a vit too long as they get bored in the last few weeks. Now we have the mad frenzy of buying new things for school. They need new bags, pencil cases, pens, etc, new coats, shoesand socks etc. I always leave it till the last minute as Im not very organised but hopefully I will get a few bargains as all the shops should be selling things off now its nearly over. I also have to cut their hair to make them all smart for their first day. Then the camera has to come out for the first day back to school pics so that I can scrapbook them... Honestly I think I will need a rest on Wednesday when they go back....

On to my new bears for this week. I have created a Welsh Whimsy called Gethin and a Little Wild One called Amethyst and because the fur is rasberry in colour she is a girl. Now as alot of people know I make mainly boy bears so a girl is a lovely change.

Gethin is on my website so click on his name and it will take you to the website and Amethyst is on ebay so by clicking on her name it will take you to ebay.

Wednesday, 29 August 2007

Well I was busy trying to take pics of some new little bears today and someone came up behind me and said Cheese........ so I couldn't help but take her pic. Isn't she just the sweetest little thing you ever saw.

Saturday, 25 August 2007

Well Ive had a busy week, this week ( don't we all). I have been out and about, been hairdressing and made 3 bears. 2 for sale and 1 for a shop order. At the moment I can only make them in the evening when my little bundle of joy goes to bed.

I went to Dunelm Mill today. If you have one of them near you and haven't been then you must. I could spend ages in there. I went to the one in Wrexham today as its a larger one and they sell the most beautiful fabrics on the roll. They have a end of roll section too where you can get wonderful fabric if you only want a few metres starting at £1.99.

Here are my latest bears.

Darcy is a Wild One and is 9" tall. He is on ebay at the moment. If you click on his name you can go to his auction.

Thursday, 23 August 2007

On Tuesday I did something Ive never done before, forgot my wedding anniversary. Phil came in from work in the morning with chocolates and a card for me and I had forgot. I did remember 3 days earlier and reminded him about it but I hadn't even made a card. I had to rush up to the shop and buy one, can you believe that.

Speaking of cards I made one for my Auntie today as its her 60th birthday in a few days time.

The picture isn't very good as its night time and the colours don't look like they do on the real card but I was happy with it. Its been ages since I made any cards and I do enjoy it. I will have to make another batch up so I always have one in and I do have a few birthdays round the corner.

Another thing happened the other day too. I have applied to Hugglets to attend their shows next year. I thought it would give me time to get really going with new designs for my bears. Well I had an email on Monday asking if I wanted to go on a reserve list for the one on the 2nd September this year. Well I could of bitten her hand off but then I looked around me and saw I have no bears made and 11 days to fill a table for a show. I was gutted. So I had to say no, I know it was only for a cancellation short list and I probably wouldn't of got a table anyway but still. I have my name down for next year so Im keeping my fingers crossed that I get one and can attend. I am toying with applying for the British Bear Fair in December but its such a long way to Brighton.

Sunday, 19 August 2007

I feel so ashamed today, well a little bit anyway. My friend and I had a lovely day out today. As both our hubbies were out watching football we decided to go to Ikea. It has to be my favorite shop for all things home. We took Kaitlin and her daughter with us and as per usual we treated ourselves to a KFC. We always have a KFC when we go to ikea, its like a ritual. I am going to be starting to redo the boys bedroom within the next few weeks, moving them in together and then Kaitlin can have her own room. Well I decided that as they are going to have to share I would try to make it as nice ( cool ) as possible. hence my trip to Ikea. I went armed with measurements of what size cupboards to look for etc and to get ideas. I will take Phil back with me in a weeks time to get the cupboards I saw today. ( Men can be useful sometimes).

Well carrying on with my story, I only bought a few bits and helped my friend buy loads.... Anyway we came home and into my house we go for a cup of tea. Well she looked round in horror and asked me if we had been burgled. Honestly everything was everywhere, toys, paperwork, clothes.

Well I hadn't been burgled, it was just the mess I live in daily. I would take a picture but you really really wouldn't want to see it. I am swamped with stuff, its everywhere. I really don't know where to start. Now my friend on the other hand is totally into cleaning to the point that her house looks like a showhouse all the time. So I was so ashamed, don't get me wrong Im not a tidy person and never will be and I do have far too much stuff but my friend always comes round and never says anything. I like people who like me for me not how tidy my house is but I guess it was particularly bad today.

So Im going to make a concerted effort to tidy up and sort some stuff out.

Saturday, 18 August 2007

Well its Saturday again and another week has flown by. Where does the time go? I haven't had anything exciting happen this week but Phil did take me for a meal on Thursday to TGI Fridays. It makes a nice change to go out just the 2 of us. It was only in the afternoon but it was lovely. I couldn't persuade him to go out shopping though afterwards, he just wouldn't have it.

I have been designing some new bears this week. One is made and is going off to have his Photo taken for Teddy Bear Club International next month. If you remember the Smudge bears I made this is a design based on them but bigger.

I have also been messing with my website again this week as Im not 100% happy with it. I have now figured out after emailing homestead how to make my pages look more central but it will probably take a week to do them all one by one...

I have managed to make a little bear for my website though. Just a little on called Little Ted. He is just over 6" tall. Click on his name to take you to my website.

Monday, 13 August 2007

In our house football is number one sport on the telly. Phil is football mad with Joe running a close second. We have had a lovely break from it over the summer but now its started again. Phil went to Liverpools first game of the season on Saturday and was out from 10.30am til 1am. Not only does he have to watch it, he sleeps it, talks about it all the time, texts his mates about it and then after a match they spend hours analising it. As my Dad used to say its only 11 men chasing a bag of wind. I mean why do men get so worked up about football.

Phil and the boys went off to Derby on Sunday for a kickboxing tornament. They both faught really well and Will came home with a bronze medal. His confidence has come on leaps and bounds since he started and he has already got a few medals and cups. Joe did really well but unfortunatly got knocked out of his last match. Phil keeps saying I should go and watch them but as a mother I don't think I could face the sight of them fighting full blown and getting hurt or hurting other people...........

Saturday, 11 August 2007

Well Ive been busy again this week and haven't had chance to blog. I have been hairdressing more this week and on Tuesday I went on a hairdressing course, basically to update me on trendy cuts and colours. We worked on a dolls head, ( its not a dolls head but a dummy with real hair if you get the drift). Well I was a bit worried before I went that I would of been the only one there who wasn't up to date on the foils they use now. Don't get me wrong I colour hair every week and when I high light someones hair I use easi mesh ( its like foils but not). Well it took all of 2 minutes watching to get it and I was away. We cut the models hair and then coloured it in a trendy fashion. A base colour all over then 3 other colours were sliced through the hair. Well it was fab, I chose chocolate brown, a very light blonde, a copper and a beige blonde. I really liked the effect so watch this space, I might have it done myself.

We went to the National Eisteddfod yesterday afternoon. Its being held in Mold this year which is less than 5 miles away so it was the perfect opportunity. We all went and had a lovely afternoon just strolling around, listening to music, stopping for cups of tea and strawberries. I bought Kaitlin a pair of Crocs too. £18 for a pair of plastic shoes, I must be mad but they are so cute on her tiny feet.

Ive also worked on my website this week. I know what I want but I just can't do it so I have just had a mini overhaul instead. I might get they people at homestead to give me a price to do it as the templates look fab but I can't get my head around it. The only thing the website needs now is new bears.......

Ive just popped Dante on ebay if you want a look. He is the hairyest (excuse the spelling) bear ever. I could spend hours styling his hair. Just click his name and it will take you to him.

Saturday, 4 August 2007

Where has this week gone. One minute its Monday the next its Saturday. We have had Phils brother over from Finland for the week. Not stopping with us but with Phils Mum. We haven't seen them for 18mths so we have spent loads of time with them. We went to Chester Zoo on Wednesday and had a brilliant day. I had won a family ticket in a raffle so we saved over £50 getting in. That made the day nicer too. We took a packed lunch and then walked round with all the kids for 5 hrs, stopping for drinks and ice creams. I couldn't take many pictures as it was packed and people just push you out of the way.. I did take some nice family pictures though, just haven,t had time to download them yet...

Will was poorly on Tuesday, he couldn't stop being sick. It must of been something he had eaten as we were all fine.

Oh and it was my birthday yesterday. I had a lovely day and then we went out with Janet and Gary our friends last night. We went to a hotel called The Mill and had a 3 course meal and then there was a disco ( not that we danced much). We had such a laugh though and I had a drink, something I don't do very often so I had a headache this morning.

Here is my latest bear, hes called Otis and he is a Hairy Hoodlam ( one of my collections of bears ). These bears are more substantial and I use airbrushing on them. If you want to take a peak at his auction just click on his name.

Saturday, 28 July 2007

Well look at me go, Ive made 2 bears this week, ok so they are both small ones.... Im really loving making them after so long. I have masses of thoughts running through my mind, like what bear should I create, should I work on a signature design, should I book fairs etc.

I have about 5 different ranges of bears, I came up with all the designs, collections as I call them. Anyway I vary the pattern size within the collection and mohair etc so they look similar within their collection. I look at other peoples bears and alot tend to have one collection which they vary but you can tell instantly that they are a signature look. Now do I go along that route or do I carry on designing and creating within my collections. I really like the variety it gives me and Im never bored but I lack a signature look. I wouldn't know which collection to pick either as I love them all. Oh decisions, desisions..

Here is Digby, he is 7" tall is is from my Little Heart Throb Collection. To go to his auction, click on his name.

Wednesday, 25 July 2007

My baby girl has been poorly for the past 4 days.. It started on Sunday with a cold, progressing in the evening to a high fever. I called the emergency doctor who told me to give her calpol and neorofen and to keep her cool. I had to put her in a warm bath to bring her temperature right down. Anyway she has been so clingy and not herself at all. Today I was changing her and noticed a rash all over her legs and bottom half so I scooped her up and went to the doctors. He said she had a viral infection and the rash / spots were the culmination af the illness. She is alot better today but I had to make sure as you never know with a rash...

The kids are enjoying their first week off for the holidays. Will has been a bit bored as he doesn't go out much but went out with Joe today and they found a few mates to play with. I have got a few things planned for the holidays but it depends on the weather. Its still awful. We have never know it to rain so much.

Saturday, 21 July 2007

Well after feeling yucky for half of the week I do feel much better now. Im sure the weather is getting us all down. It has rained everyday bar one since the second week in June. Its so depressing..

Phil has had a headache for 3 days and when he isn't himself we all suffer. He went off this morning at 4am to pick up 14 other Liverpool fans to go and see the Bill Shankly memorial in Scotland. He was then going to Edinburgh for a night out and is coming back tomorrow so Ive had a bit of piece today.

I went to the Next sale hoping to get lots of clothes for Kaitlin but I was very dissapointed. It was like a jumble sale with all the sizes mixed up and not alot of what I would of picked. I did get her a swimming costume and a pair of jeans and the lads a couple of tops though. I should of gone earlier like I have in the past. I used to get up and queue outside at 5am in the morning. I did used to buy a years worth of clothes for the kids though. Woolworths had a half price sale too and I ended up getting quite a bit in there for Kaitlin.

The business cards I had made for my hairdressing arrived this week and I have been giving them out to family to pass on to their friends. I am enjoying doing hair again and everyone has been really pleased with their new hair dos.

I did have mine cut this week, a bit shorter than usual but I really like it.

I have listed another bear on ebay today. I made him this week, so Im still doing well on my one a week schedule. He is 12" tall and is called Calder. Here is a picture and a link to his aution if you click on his name.

Tuesday, 17 July 2007

Not much to report today only I feel a bit off colour today. I had Joe up in the night not well and I finally got him settled at 1pm and I went to bed only to be woken half an hour later by Kaitlin. She had a stuffy nose so couldn't breathe with her dummy in. I am usually up at 6.30am so I didn't get much sleep at all and I haven't recovered!!!!!!! I feel old.

We did have a nice time at toddlers this morning though and I did think Id miss seeing everyone for 6 weeks. I think we all felt the same so we have arranged to meet up every week for a couple of hours at the local playcentre. Ive also joined the toddlers and playgroup committee so will have to join in with all the fund raising. I am enjoying a new lease of life through Kaitlin. At first I thought I was starting all over again with such a big gap between the kids ( theres 9 yrs between Joe and Kaitlin and 11 between her and Will ) but Ive made so many friends through her, that its great.

Saturday, 14 July 2007

Well last night was fabulous except it took us 2.5 hrs to get to Birmingham with the friday traffic. Phil and I found a pub near the NEC and had a carvery and it was fabulous and great value at £18 for 2 courses and a drink each. We found the pub by accident as we don't know the area at all but we couldn't of choosen better is we tried.

The festival was wonderful. There were 12 bands taking part all from different schools throughout the country and they were all amazing. To see 14 -16 yr olds play instruments like they did was out of this world and the singing was fab. Wills school came last and they sang Lean on Me, Chasing Cars and lastly Bohemain Rhapsody. It was amazing and the guitarist they had from their school played not far off Brian May. I was so proud of Will and the hairs on my arms were standing up the whole way through it. ( That always happens to me when I hear good music).

They had lots of instruments for sale there and we bought Will an electric guitar. He has been learning the acustic guitar for 18mths and his teacher felt he should move up to the electric guitar now. He was made up with it. We need to buy an amp now before he can play it oh order some ear plugs....We had to get Joe something so this morning Phil rushed out to buy him the new Liverpool away kit ( only he bought a small mans size) I mean how on earth would you think that a 10yr old child would be as big as a small man.....

I called my little bear Ralph and put him on ebay along with Claude a larger Hairy Hoodlam. I found my bears name book so I know that I have never used that name before. It does suit him though I think.

Thursday, 12 July 2007

Well here he is. I haven't got a name yet though. I have a book which has all the names in that I have ever used and can I find it, no I can't so I can't check....

I will be popping him on ebay at the weekend.

Tomorrow we are going to the NEC to watch Will sing in a Rock and Pop festival. His choir had to audition, ( I think they sent a tape in). Anyway they are singing Bohemian Rhapsody ( one of my favorites) along with other songs. I can't wait... I wonder if I should take my big camera, will they let me take pictures....

Wednesday, 11 July 2007

Well I was aiming for one bear a week, but Ive finished one tonight. I started him on Saturday and just by sewing him for an hour each night and again when Kaitlin has her nap he is finished. Ok so he is only 7" tall but I did spend lots of time on his face, creating the right look. Im going to take his photo tomorrow and of course think of a name. That is the hardest part, finding a name that will suit him. I have a book of 10,000 baby names and I sit going through pages of names till I find the right one.

Saturday, 7 July 2007

Had a really busy day today. Ive listed 2 of the remaining bears I have on ebay, updated my mailing list and started to redesign my website to give it a new look. All those hours on the computer make me really tired. Ive also started on a new bear tonight, the first one in ages. So watch this space. I am going to see if I can make one a week. It can take 6-7 hrs to make a small bear but now Kailtin has a regular bedtime Ive been bored watching telly in the evening ( hense the bag making) (4 down 8 to go). So if I do an hour or 2 each day I should manage to make a new one a week. Thats the plan anyway.

Here are the bears I have listed on ebay today. Smudge

Rowan

I can't get any links to work at the moment but you can see them on ebay by going to www.ebay.co.uk and by typing in my seller name into the search box. glorious19

Monday, 2 July 2007

Well the hairdressing has started off nicely and Im really enjoying it. Just need more people to find out about me now but Im sure it will build up by word of mouth.

I made another bag last night. This one only took about 3/4 of an hour as I had sussed the pattern. Just 10 more to make now.. I did take one to the co-op yesterday to put my bits and bobs that Id bought in. The girl on the til did look at it twice. LOL... Ive heard you can get nice material at Dunelm Mills so a trip down there is in order at some point. Actually we do have a very good fabric shop about 35 mins away called Aberkhan. Its like a treasure trove.

My head is spinning at the moment as we have spent the last 5 days looking for villas for when we go to Florida in Dec. We go every year and stay in different resorts each time. We are going with friends this time but are still having our own villas. Its harder trying to decide on a resort when there is more of of you but we did make a decision on Lake Berkley. So we have been emailing all the villa owners for days trying to get one that ticks all the boxes. My 2 main requirements are a big tub bath and not being overlooked. I don't care about anything else but the kids want a games room too ( good idea). We have seen a couple of really really nice ones though ( they are all nice though).

Wednesday, 27 June 2007

Well Ive been busy tonight making a bag. A shopping bag. You know how plastic bags are bad for the enviroment, well if we use reusable ones it helps. I found out there are lots of animals and marine life that die from eating plastic bags so I thought Id do my bit. This is my first attempt and just an oddment of fabric I had and a little ultrasuede for a flower but Im rather pleased with it and shall be taking it to the supermarket to fill with stuff when I go.... I need to make about 12 as I tend to use that many a week for the shopping but just think of the fancy bags I could make if I get some nice material... If you want to make one visit this site and also look on their forum for bag ideas as they are fab.

Sunday, 24 June 2007

I been to the crop in Warrington and had a great time with a lovely bunch of girls. I actually did 2 LOs and a card so fairly productive for me. Will take photos tomorrow.

Phil made tea tonight and had sorted the kids out all day for me to have a day off.

Im taking my hairdressing back up and Im off to a new wholesalers tomorrow to get kitted out. I trained as a hairdresser but with the kids etc I have only been doing family for a long while. Anyway Ive been doing a bit more latley and have been enjoying it so have decided to go back to it part time. Im just going to fit the hours in to suit us so that Phil is around for Kaitlin and the boys. Im also going to book onto a trend setting cutting and colouring course for August so Im completly up to date with the new trendy hairstyles. Its really exciting... Oh and I cut Joes hair tonight. I persueded him to have it cut and promised to buy him some gel tomorrow so he can have it trendy. He looks so much better.....

Thursday, 21 June 2007

I feel like Ive become a right moaning minnie for the last couple of weeks. What with the ants and now a horrendous smell coming from underneath our integrated fridge its driving me up the wall. I have a chappie coming out tomorrow to see to the fridge, goodness nows what we will find but hey ho... Im going to try not to moan now at least for a few days.

We have a really busy time coming up with the boys being in concerts. Will is singing at the Rock and Pop Festival at the NEC, Theatre Clywd and at his own schools Rock and pop festival and Joe is singing at Liverpool Cathederal. We also have 2 sports days and a parents evening too..all withing 2 weeks. I will have to ask for a few babysitting favours for these. I was singing Bohemain Rhapsody with Will after tea, just messing around as he needs to learn all the words and Queen is one of my favorite groups of all time..We went to see the London show based on them last month and it was fantastic..

Current mood - QuietCurrent taste - Toast with loads of butterCurrent clothes - Black trousers with black long sleeved T-shirtCurrent desktop - Pic of Phil and I with the kidsCurrent toenail colour - Dark RedCurrent time - 23.15Current surrondings - In the living roomCurrent thoughts - Listening to the rain pounding on the conservatory makes me feel glad to be inside

Have you ever dated one of your friends - NoHave you ever broken the law - yes speeding ( I had 9 points at one time)Have you ever been arrested - NoHave you ever skinny dipped - Couldn't really call it that as I kept my underwear on!!!Have you ever been on TV - noHave you ever been kissed by a stranger - yes

5 Things

TV programme I watch - NeighboursDone today - Cleaned the house and been to toddlersCan hear right now - RainThing you can't live without - chocolateWhat you do when you're bored - surf the net

4Things You've Done Today

Toddlers, washing, cleaning sat in the dark because of a thunderstorm

3 People You Can Tell Anything to

Phil, Mum and my best friend

2 choices

Black or White - blackHot or cold - Hot

1 Thing You Want to Do Before You Die

It used to be to see the world, as many countries as poss but now I wnt my kids to be happy

Monday, 18 June 2007

We have had an ant problem for a few weeks now. I have already had the pest control fella come and spray where they were coming from but because he didn't spray the whole downstairs the little blighters find their way out of every nook and cranny. My dishwasher broke last year and when I got an engineer out to fix it he opened it up and found lots of dead ants in the electrics. Im just getting fed up with them now. I shall be calling Mr pest control out tomorrow and will be getting him to spray everywhere. Once everywhere is sprayed once a year its normally fine then but no he did half a job this time, I mean...

Its been raining again here. Must be the wettest June we have ever had.

I have spent the entire evening figuring out how to back up all my photos to a hard disk. Tried 5 times and couldn't find the pics anywhere so Phil ( mr high tech ) had to come and sort it out. Turned out Id been saving the photos to my c drive instead of the hard disk thing. So at least I can free up some space on my computer now..

Heres Harley, one of my Hairy Hoodlams. I really want to start making bears again soon as I miss it and the bear fairs so watch this space......

Sunday, 17 June 2007

Ive been watching Britains got talent all week and I was made up to see Paul Potts win. Wow what a voice. He is so talented and I cried all the way through. After hearing his story of how he was bullied when he was a child and he had no confidence he was my favorite. The kids wanted Connie or Bubbles and Damian to win. Im sure all the finalists will go on to have brilliant carreers as well as quiet a few of the semi-finalists too. It was the best reality TV show Ive seen and I do watch quiet a few!!!

Ive been practising with my camera today. I should really be out there all the time because the more you practise the better you get ( supposidly ). Here are 2 of my favorite pics from today.

I love my camera, a cannon 400D but very rarely take it off auto but today I messed round taking about 50 photos till I got 2 I liked. Now I couldn't tell you what I did ( I will write it down in future).

Saturday, 16 June 2007

Well I haven't done a great deal today. It was craft day on QVC and I have to watch as much as poss for ideas. Only ordered 1 item too which is a first for me. I did make 2 Fathers day cards though one for my Dad and one for Phil. I made Dennis my FIL a card last week as he was going on holiday.Oh we were also selected to be pringle tasters for their new crisps so we had to have the kids tasting them this morning. They are new rice infusions and they are really nice. A lighter crisp keeping the flavour. The kids had fun playing the online game too.

Friday, 15 June 2007

Im on a mission at the moment to cut down on my weekly grocery bill as it was so high. I have been spending £140 a week in Tesco. There are 5 of us including a baby who needs nappies etc and a cat but still its so much money. The last 2 weeks Ive been to Aldi and bought loads and loads for £80 ish so major improvement but today I went to Netto for the first time and can highly recommend it. I only spent £58 ( ok I didn't need washing powder or a full weeks worth of meals or nappies ) and I got a trolley full. I really liked the fact they had branded food and their special offers were for things you would actually use. So far in 3 weeks I have saved £220 which Im sure I can find a better use for. I think its fun to see where you can save money and try different places.

Thursday, 14 June 2007

Kaitlin and I went to Chester Zoo today. She goes to toddlers everyweek and they had set up a sposored toddle. To walk half a mile round Chester Zoo for Banardos and to raise funds for the toddlers. Well all week Id really looked forward to it but we picked the worse day of the year to visit. Boy it rained heavily all day and I got soaked to the skin. I couldn't get Kaitlin out of the pushchair as she would of been soaked too so it was agreed all small children would just be pushed round the course.

I was so looking forward to getting my new camera out and having a play but I didn't want to risk it getting damp or wet so I left it at home. I only took 2 pics and they were of the Elephants. They were having a swim and looked rather at home in the pool even though it was pelting down. We did have a nice day out though despite the rain and Kaitlin was so good and even had a sleep in the cosy warm pushchair for an hour while I got drenched. Oh the joys of being a Mum.Susan

Wednesday, 13 June 2007

Today I went to a very large wholesaler to help Phil stock up on stuff for his business. Well I took Kaitlin in her pushchair and Phil got an extra big trolley. Got to the desk to sign in and they said no pushchairs.. We had been loads of times before with the pushchair so I asked why. Its policy they said as we have fork lift trucks driving around and they wouldn't see the pushchair but you can put the baby in a trolley. Now to me it doesn't make sense, would they see a trolley if they can't see a pushchair? Would they see a child? Would they see a small built person? Or what if you were bending down?

To me a fork lift truck should be nowhere near people. They should close the isle and then reopen when finished. I certainly wouldn't of left Kaitlin in her pushchair in the middle of an isle while I went off looking at stuff so I didn't see their point. I had a huge row over it, not because of the policy ( well maybe coz I don't get it ) but because the manager was so rude and basically told me thats their policy so either you do it or tough. He was soooo rude and shouted at me so I got on my high horse then. If he had been nice and spoke to me with respect and explained the situation I would of said OK, even though the trollies for kids were kept inside at the back of the store. But he wasn't so Im writing to head office now to complain.

I also spotted that their health and saftey sign was covered with an 8ft plastic tree but manager said it didn't matter if it wasn't displayed as Id signed their terms and conditions.

I had to get that out of my system.

Ive been working on getting my Bears website back up and running. I had to ring America as thats where my host is based and I had to wait 10mins (good job we have free internet calls abroad) but the service was exceptional. Its all back to normal, just needs a good update and freshen up.

Tuesday, 12 June 2007

It was Wills first Parents evening today at High School. We are very pleased with how he is doing. They don't put the kids in sets until year 9 here except for Maths next year. He is doing really well in Music which is his favorite subject and is already scoring what they expect of a student 2 years ahead of him. He is in the choir and has already has some fabulous oppurtunities to sing in different places with fabulous singers. His teacher told us tonight that the choir entered a competition to sing at a festival at the NEC in July and they got in. I think its harder for boys though with the choir as the majority of students are girls with only 7 boys. So good on him for sticking at it when all his mates gave up after a few weeks.

Here is a layout I did last year as a class by the very talented Sarah Palmer ( Gertie off UKS and one of my team mates). Its of me with Will when he was 10mths old. Over 11 years ago on holiday in Gran Canaria.

Monday, 11 June 2007

I watch lots of reality TV shows, you could say Im a bit of an addict ( except Big Brother which I hate). There is a new one on at the moment called Britains Got Talent and I am totally amazed. It makes such a change to see normal people come on stage and perform, not just singing but anything. Each night its been on I have been in floods of tears. Tonight there was a little girl aged 6 who sang Somewhere over the Rainbow perfectly. Well its on every night this week and Im sure I will be going through a box of tissues before the end.

Joe has been on his school trip today to a place called Erddig. Its a hall and grounds and they go back in time to 1800s. He had to dress up from that era and they make food and drink and he told me he even had to empty the bed pans. Ewwww. Don't know who had used them..

Just wanted to put a pic on here of my family. Me and Phil, Will Joe and Kaitlin. Kirsty Wiseman took this pic in December and Kaitlin actually has alot more hair now. We just couldn't get a good pic of her without bribing her with a biscuit. Now doesn't Joe look much better with short hair.......

This is one of my favorite pictures of Kaitlin. Just natural. I just love the pictures Kirsty takes and would recomend her if you wants lots of natural pics and she concentrates on the eyes. Oh I wish I could take nice pics.

Sunday, 10 June 2007

My second son Joe plays football for the under 10's at Broughton Super Saints. It was started 30 years ago and my hubby Phil was in the very first team ( shows how old he is).. Anyway this afternoon we went to the school field for the end of season presentation. They give out trophys and medals for outstanding achievements. There are 7 different teams for all age groups so you can imagine it lasted a while. Here is Joe with his medal looking very proud. Will have to scrap this one when I get time. He is growing his hair too which is doing my head in. I like it short but he informs me its the cool thing to have it long.

Here is a couple more pics of my bears. They are feeling very neglected at the moment as my website is currently down. When I get it back up again I will add a link to it.

This was from my range of hairy Hoodlams, I hand dyed the mohair to achieve this colour. I made her for a ladies 50th birthday and embroidered on her paws. We called her Susan as the lady was also called that. This little bear is only 7" tall and is called Leo. Don't you just love the expression on his face. Susan